When I come back, I’ll have my fully edited recap of the AGTA GemFair‘s glories ready for you, and shortly after that I’ll have the results of my Miami treasure hunting to share with you as well! I’m having a very busy, extremely sparkling February.

A rare and exquisite portrait bracelet with family portraits. Dedicated to a wife from her husband for their wedding anniversary in 1864. Spotted at OMBAS 2016.

Now, for my favorite question:

Is there anything you particularly want to see from the Original Miami (Beach) Antique Show??? Are any of you on the hunt for a particular piece, or is there something you’d especially like to ogle?

Let me know in the comments, and I’ll do my best to bring you pictures of what you’d like to see!!

xoxo,
Becky

*The show has temporarily moved from its usual location on Miami Beach due to construction, so “Beach” has temporarily been dropped from the name.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers has another glorious jewelry auction coming up, and it’s right around the corner: the December Important Jewelry Auction. The Chicago preview starts on Wednesday, and the auction itself is next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

I’ve combed through the literally hundreds of auction lots and picked out my favorite pieces to give you a starting point to decide what you can’t let get away next week when the bidding starts.

I had a little help, actually: Alex, Meredith, and Jamie of Leslie Hindman’s jewelry department spent nearly an hour on the phone with me, giving me the inside scoop on the most noteworthy pieces coming up in the December Important Jewelry Auction. And oh my goodness, there are some good ones.

If you’ve never bid in a Leslie Hindman auction before, this is a great one to start with. They have a wonderful introductory page here to walk you through the particulars of getting started. There are some really great pieces spanning a variety of price points. It’s their second-biggest sale ever, which means there’s a whole lot to love.

We’re starting out with this delicious jewel right here: a colorful, eye-catching specimen of Renaissance Revival jewelry crafted by a master of revival jewelry, Augusto Castellani. If that weren’t enough, this piece also bears a strong resemblance to a piece in the British Royal Collection that is also attributed to Augusto Castellani and is believed to have been acquired by Queen Mary.

I’ve seen some cool micro-mosaic pieces in my jewelry adventures, but I’ve never, ever seen anything like these hoop earrings.

It’s even Egyptian revival micro-mosaic; look at those colorful scarabs near the top!! I love the rope detail edging on the sides, too. A fascinating, unique pair of treasures in exquisite condition. Also…the low auction estimate is $500, which blows my mind.

One of the first things I noticed while perusing Leslie Hindman’s December Important Jewelry Auction is that there a whole lot of delicious little Georgian pieces in day 1. I know a some of my antique jewelry Instagram buddies are going to go gaga for these – and with good reason, since many of these little pretties have auction estimates that start below $1,000.

Are you familiar with rose cut diamonds, my darlings? They are most commonly found in antique pieces, as it’s traditionally an older diamond cut, but I’ve been seeing a resurgence in new rose cut pieces lately in contemporary and I’m totally into it. It’s a gentle, romantic cut that shimmers with an endless luminescence, a soft contrast to the cold fire of the meticulously engineered modern round brilliant cuts.

Well, the fabulous Lang Antiques has recently come into possession of a most remarkable collection. It was the property of a curious individual identified only as “an intrepid traveler with a passion for rare and wonderful rose cut diamond jewelry.” And oh my goodness, did this person have good taste.

From rings to brooches to bracelets (and even some hair bling) this wonderful mystery person amassed rose cut diamonds of every shape and size. Can you think of anything more satisfying than having an interest this specific – rose cut diamonds, mostly antique – and also having the funds and time to pursue it?

I think that my own tastes are too eclectic to ever concentrate my buying power in a niche this specific, but I’m sure that if I had enough money in my jewelry buying budget I could come up with some pretty fabulous mini-collections. Something to daydream about!

I’ve known about this rose-cut goodness for a while, but I couldn’t figure out how to write about it…I’ve decided that just presenting you with an overview of alllllllll of the beauty is the best way to go. Without further ado:

Happy Monday, kittens! I finally have my photos all edited and I’m ready to show you what I saw at the The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show!

Unlike most antique jewelry shows, the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show is not open to the public: you have to be a dealer (or registered attendee of the JCK or Couture trade shows, or a lucky member of the media) to attend.

This means that almost everyone there is there to get down to serious business, rather than just admiring the pretties. It’s a high-energy environment that attracts a lot of top-shelf dealers with exquisite pieces to offer. I had a marvelous time.

Because the show attracts such great jewelry, there were a lot of fun jewelry people around, too! I was lucky enough to have pre-show breakfast with the lovely Beth Bernstein, Susan of Circa 1700, and Anya of GemFever, all of whom brought fierce jewelry game to the breakfast table. That’s Beth’s bling on the right, Anya’s on the left.

The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show is what I would call a medium-sized antique jewelry show: it’s one casino ballroom – about half the size of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. Doable in one day if you’re okay with not seeing everything. I only gave myself one day there, and while it was hard to tear myself away knowing I wasn’t coming back, I did see a lot of amazing pieces.

I made a beeline straight for Lowther Antiques: not only are Pat and Virginia two of my favorite jewelry-dealing ladies to chat with, they also have a dependably mind-blowing selection.

Just look at these glorious Georgian jewels from Lowther Antiques.

These caught the light like nobody’s business. Extraordinary condition for pieces of jewelry that have been around more than twice as long as any living human.

Good morning, my darlings! It’s been a while since we’ve done a good old fashioned store profile, but I’ve got a great one for you here today. We’re going to be taking a look at the fantastic A Brandt and Son, a family-owned antique and vintage jewelry store outside of Philly.

I was in Philly for a weekend away with my husband (a weekend that I do admit was supposed to be jewelry-free) when the patient Mr. DitL agreed that sure, we could stop by just one jewelry store. I’d been following A Brandt and Son online for a while and had seen some of their treasures once at the NYC Big Flea, so I was thrilled to have a chance to go visit them in person.

A Brandt and Son‘s online description is “A. Brandt + Son offers an extensive collection of Antique and Estate Jewelry, specializing in pieces from the Georgian era through the Contemporary period.” This sounds vague, but I assure you it’s completely accurate.

They do specialize in everything between Georgian and Contemporary. Their selection is exceptional, and it ranges evenly across all of those eras. I saw exceptional antique chains, Georgian necklaces, Edwardian pendants, engagement rings from all eras, mourning rings, and more – not to mention the swoonworthy motherload of Victorian lockets (see please above and drool).

Let’s take a look at some of the treasures I saw there.

A Brandt and Son had one of the best in-store selections of midrange Art Deco engagement rings I’ve seen anywhere. The kind that the majority of people will actually be able to afford: bigger than a twinkle but smaller than a boulder, and with plenty of knee-weakening detail. But I admit I’m biased; my own ring would fit into this stack perfectly.

One of my favorite things about A Brandt and Son is that they really did have excellent examples of pieces from all categories, from the most accessible – classic Art Deco engagement rings – to the unusual, like this Victorian skeleton key pendant.

Each key features a retractable hidden function. The left key hides a small knife blade and the right, a pencil.

One of the best man-in-the-moon rings I’ve ever seen!

This beauty is Victorian, and the man in the moon is actually carved rock crystal rather than moonstone, which is more commonly used in pieces like this. It reflects light in a ghostly glow, ethereal and captivating.

But first: last night was the 2016 Oscars, and I was asked to join in with INDESIGN.JEWELRY’s fabulous team to further the discussion of all things #OscarJewelry. Check out my article here, and the whole team’s coverage here.

Now: back to the Original Miami Beach Antique Show jewels! If you follow me on Instagram, you may recognize a couple of these finds…but don’t worry, I saved some really good ones just for this post.

Starting strong with the most wonderful antique English ruby and diamond double heart ring. From Bell and Bird. I can’t really talk about this one because I love it too much.

This is one of the loveliest Georgian foiled-back topaz necklaces I’ve ever seen, anywhere. Look how perfect the condition is, and how lovely the color! The flowers are centered by pearls and set in gold.

One of the coolest fede rings I’ve ever seen! This antique piece from The Spare Room features a carved central turquoise piece flanked by textured gold and other gemstones. So unusual, and in ridiculously good condition.

This magnificent thing from Terry Lucy jewelry is a late Victorian silver-topped gold necklace with rose cut diamonds and 80 carats (!!!) of no-heat Ceylon sapphires.